Lust or Mate?

Chapter 9 - Vengeance

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Three days ago

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Back in Silvera

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12:01 am

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Unknown Girl

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Her eyes slowly opened, the voice whispering in her ear pulling her out of a deep slumber. She sat up, feeling a sense of urgency pulsing through her body. She knew what she had to do, and the time had finally come for her to take action.

With a determined stride, she made her way to the basement of her small house. The room was dimly lit, with only a few flickering candles providing illumination. She took a deep breath and began to prepare for the ritual she had to perform.

Carefully, she grabbed the knife and cut a gash in her hand, not blinking an eye as she did. The anger that had been eating at her for over eighteen years had made her numb. Holding her hand in a tight fist, she drew a circle with the blood that dripped out of her hand on the ground. When done, she grabbed the jar with the mixture of salt and herbs and sprinkled it on top of the blood to complete the intricate design.

As she worked, she felt a sense of unease settle in her stomach as all the pressure of what was at stake crashed down on her like a ton of bricks. Memories of the day her sisters were burned alive - their screams of terror as they pleaded while she stood on that window watching, haunted her ears. The gut-wrenching emotion as she stood there helpless caused her heartbeat to accelerate while her eyes got misty.

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Flashback

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The night was dark without a single star in the sky, as though the heavens themselves were in mourning. After the screams settled down, her mother came to tuck her in. She quickly moved away from the window. She didn’t want her to see that she had heard everything, but the curtain that wasn’t closed properly gave her away. Her mother asked if she watched the witches march down the street, and she shook her head, the lump in her throat not allowing her to speak. Her mother kissed her goodnight and left the room, leaving the light on even though she never slept with the lights on, as the dark was the only time she could be herself.

In the dead of the night, when she was sure her mother was asleep, she slipped out of the house, the moon that had now returned barely visible through the thick blanket of clouds. She wrapped her cloak tightly around her and concealed her face as she made her way to the site where her sisters had been burned. The place was closed off, but her four-year-old self was able to slip inside, her heart getting heavier and heavier with grief.

As she reached the poles to which they were tied, she saw that the ashes were still there, waiting to be cleaned up in the morning. She knelt down and carefully collected the ashes in a bucket that was lying there, her fingers trembling as she did so while tears fell from her eyes.

The streets were deserted; the only sound was the occasional hoot of an owl and the rustle of leaves in the wind as she made her way through the kingdom, heading to the gravesite. There was still a sense of foreboding in the air even though it was over, and everyone should have been rejoicing. It was as if the whole kingdom was holding its breath, confusing her as she passed houses that showed no signs of life in them. But she soon became grateful, as the atmosphere ensured she reached her destination unseen.

It wasn’t easy with her short legs, and it took her a long time. She dug a shallow grave, her hands raw from the effort as she could not dig like an adult or use digging tools. She buried the bucket, tears streaming down her face as she chanted, putting her sisters to rest.

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End of Flashback

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She felt something warm trailing down her cheek, and she realized she was crying at the memory and quickly pushed it to the back of her mind. She took a deep breath and blinked her tears back. This was no time to fall apart. It was time for vengeance, and this time she wasn’t going to lose.

Once the circle was complete, she placed the candles in the center and lit them with a steady hand. She took her place in the middle of the circle, her eyes closed, as she began to chant the ancient words that would summon the spirit tasked with helping her make everything right.

As she chanted, her heart raced with anticipation. It had been years since she had seen her sister, and the thought of being reunited with her filled her with both joy and trepidation. She wondered what she’d be like. So much had happened between them before she died, and they never got the chance to make up. But they needed each other now.

Suddenly, the room grew cold, and a faint whispering sound filled the air. Her eyes flew open, and she saw a figure standing at the edge of the circle, and it was her.

"Astrid?" she whispered with a tremulous voice, getting to her feet before taking cautious steps toward her. Astrid's skin was pale, her eyes hollow, and there was an air of otherworldliness about her as she stood rigidly in her spot. Her chest constricted at the sight of her sister, and she reached out to her, her hand trembling. But just then, the sound of the doorknob snapped her attention toward the door, and her eyes widened as it slammed open to reveal her confused mother before her mother's eyes trailed to Astrid and a horrified scream echoed off the walls. However, it soon became quiet as a knife buried itself into her shocked mother's chest, sending her tumbling to the ground.

"Meir-a," her mother tried to speak, blood spewing out of her mouth as she tried to get up, more blood gushing down her chest.

"No, not Meira. You watched your daughter burn eighteen years ago. My name is Cora."

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Now

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Alafia

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"Are you sure you don’t want to try this?" I asked Lex, gesturing to my milkshake, and she said she was sure. It was a peanut butter and chocolate flavor that I was trying for the first time. "You’re missing-" I started to say, but stopped mid-sentence when someone called my name. Lex and I both looked to our left to see Gyda, and her face stretched into a nervous smile as she greeted us.

"I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you guys had a moment?" She asked, and Lex and I shared a look, both asking ourselves what the hell this girl wanted with us. Lex spoke up and told her no, causing Gyda to look at me, and I didn’t miss the tinge of sadness in her eyes that she quickly tried to mask as she apologized and turned around. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I did, I called her and asked her what she wanted. Alexi told me there was nothing between them. He told me he just kissed her to make me think something was happening. A part of me was curious to know what she had to say.

She turned around, now just looking at me as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I just wanted you to know that there is nothing between Alexi and me. The kiss that you saw meant nothing," she said, that sadness again in her eyes, and my heart clenched at that. I suddenly realized that my attitude toward her was misdirected. The poor girl was probably just as shocked as I was when the kiss happened. Alexi used her, and it was wrong.

I told her that I knew that the kiss meant nothing and that I wasn't holding it against her or anything. Then I added that Alexi and I had spoken about it. Relief immediately flooded her facial features as she gave me the brightest smile, saying she was glad, before apologizing for the other day in the bathroom.

She said she didn't mean to overstep; she just heard me and went in, not even knowing it was me inside. I told her it was okay and thanked her for being there for me, unable even to look at her now. I was dead with embarrassment. I still couldn't believe I let Alexi f**k me up like that.

"I'm Gyda, by the way," she said, extending her hand to me. I took it and introduced myself. She told me she liked my name, saying that Lex had told her before adding that they met at the party. She wished us a good day after that and left.

"She isn't bad," I said to Lex, still looking at her as she walked away. But she shook her head, saying something was off about her, before adding that her wolf thought so too. I didn't know. I didn't feel anything off when we spoke. I did before, and that was because I thought she had something to do with Alexi. I was eighteen, but unlike Lex, I still didn't have my wolf yet. My mother got her wolf at nineteen, and my parents thought that would be the case for me.

There were rare cases of delayed wolves, like my mother's. My parents were heartbroken for me after the clock struck midnight, and nothing happened. They thought I was sad, but I wasn't. I loved being a wolf, but I also loved and enjoyed being human. They both came with their perks, and human perks were what I was into at this time in my life.

The bell that indicated the end of break went off, and we got to our feet and headed to class. It was Friday, and we wanted to do our laundry before going to the party. Elly and Ford had more people wanting to come to the party, so they decided to take it to the club.

They booked a private section in the VIP, and it was going to be wild. I also hadn't seen Alexi since Sunday, but we spoke every day on the phone. I texted him on Wednesday to let him know about the changes to the party, and every day since then he's texted me good morning and wished me a good day. He still wasn't sure if he was coming to the party, though, and said he would let me know after classes today. I hoped he would come. I wanted to see him again.

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Alexi

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My brother stopped and looked at me as I stood in front of the mirror, fidgeting with my shirt collar, trying to tame the stubborn tufts of hair that refused to stay in place. I was glad he was still human and could not hear my heart, which was knocking inside my chest.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "We're just going to the club. It's not like you're about to face a firing squad."

"I know, I know," I replied, my voice shaky. "It's just that... I'm going to see Fifi tonight." I said, and he chuckled, shaking his head.

"I see," he said before asking what the problem was, arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't know," I admitted, my gaze still fixed on my reflection. "I've never been good at this kind of thing." I wasn’t a very social person, and he knew that. He sighed, walking up to me before placing a hand on my shoulder. "You’ll be fine. Plus, I will be there to stop you when you start getting weird," he added, and I found myself laughing at the last part before asking if he was done, but my phone's ringtone cut me off.

"It’s Mom," he said, handing it over to me, and I answered. "Hey, Mom," I said, but my face immediately turned into a frown, hearing my father’s voice and sensing that something was wrong. "Dad, what’s wrong?" I asked, my heart accelerating, but it stopped at the next words that came out of his mouth.

"What?" I asked, shocked, while Kyron’s face started to mirror mine, and I felt all my strength drain from my body as I ended the call.

"What? What is it?" he asked, and I told him Marlena was dead. His eyes widened in shock, and I told him what my father had told me.

"She was off and left the palace to spend time with Meira. She was supposed to return to work two days ago, but she didn’t. So, out of worry, my mother tried to get hold of her, and when she couldn’t, she sent someone to her place. They found her dead, bro. Dad says her heart was missing, and it looked as though she died three days ago."

"Wha-ho-who? Who would do that to her?" Kyron asked while I sank onto the bed, and I told him I didn’t know. Marlena was our babysitter. She worked for my family for over twenty years. She was a good person, and she wasn’t even a wolf. Why would someone do that to her?

"And Meira? What about her?"

"She’s missing. No one knows where she is or if she’s even alive."